Should teams turn off all music and sound effects during games? | The Tylt

Real-time Voting

Should teams turn off all music and sound effects during games?

#QuietPlease

#PumpUpTheJam

The Knicks offered a throwback experience for home team fans, foregoing all music, sound effects and in-game entertainment for the first half. The goal was to give fans a more authentic experience.

The motivation was to allow fans to "experience the game in its purest form," according to a message posted on the scoreboard.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Enjoy the sounds of the game," the message read. The team declined to comment further on the decision.

But not everyone was a fan of the move. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called it "pathetic," and said the lack of music and sound effects completely altered the rhythm of the game. And he brings up a valid point—why should teams revert to an older presentation when the modern format is clearly better and more entertaining?

"To me, I think it was completely disrespectful to everyone from [NBA senior VP of entertainment and player marketing] Michael Levine to [Warriors president and COO] Rick Welts and all these people who've done these things to change the game from an entertainment perspective.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[It] gives the game a great vibe. That's complete disrespect. You advance things in the world to make it better. You don't go back to what was bad. It's like, computers can do anything for us. It's like going back to paper. Why would you do that? So it was ridiculous."

Draymond Green can shut it. He doesn't pay to watch the game. For fans, the silence was golden. It was a unique experience, devoid of all the obnoxious bells and whistles that accompany most live games. Even the commentators thought it was pretty cool.

ABC’s Jeff Van Gundy initially was pleased, praising the absence of “an assault on your senses like most arenas.”

It wasn't just the opposing team that hated it, the Knicks' own players were off-put by the move. The music adds something to the game. Removing the background noise is just jarring and hurts the pace of play.

Kristaps Porzingis also called it "weird," saying, "I didn't like it. It was weird for me. But I guess that's how it was back in the day."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Knicks guard Courtney Lee also said it affected the players' rhythms, despite the Knicks actually leading the Warriors at halftime.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"It was kind of weird because that's home-court advantage — having the crowd involved, having the music going and having that energy behind you. ... "Imagine if we had that energy? You'd rather have that. It gets the fans into the game, it keeps them in tune with what's going on as opposed to it being quiet."

Again, this is about the fans being able to soak in the sport without all the obnoxious pop music and stupid in-game entertainment. That stuff doesn't add value to a game ticket. In fact, some folks think it takes away from the true nature of the sport. We're not idiots, we don't need music cues.

Most fans can see someone is dribbling, know the game's about to start, can feel the rain falling, and have the ability to interpret a scoreboard, can see there's a player writhing on the ground, and know when to celebrate. We don't need the constant guidance, thanks all the same.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀We've been sold the line that music enhances the sporting experience. What evidence there is for that, I'd like to know. The most ardent cricket fans I know block their ears when the Black Eyed Peas come rolling.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀New York has long been at the cutting edge of culture. Let's hope the Knicks are on to something here.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀If the stopping the music can make it there, it'll make it anywhere.